The Silence
The Silence is a Japanese psychedelic rock band, formed in the summer of 2014. Following the dissolution of the long-standing psychedelic troupe known as Ghost, The Silence would be Batoh's new band, incorporating musicians from his previous band along with musicians from Sax Ruins, Acid Mothers Temple, Blacksheep, Hijokaidan and other groups in the underground Japanese scene. Batoh would describe The Silence as “heavier than any sound pressure and the silence which thunders the ears can only be expressed by the silence in the subconscious mind of consciousness and unconsciousness.”Tiny Mix Tapes Quickly signing to Drag City Records, The Silence have released four studio albums to date and have largely toured throughout Japan. History On 11 August 2014 it would be announced that longtime Japanese psychedelic band Ghost would disband after thirty years of existence.Tiny Mix Tapes However founding and core member Masaki Batoh would remain busy with his solo works and form a new band in The Silence, announcing this new group the same time as Ghost has disbanded. Previous Ghost members Kazuo Ogino and Okano Futoshi would join this new group alongside Batoh, saxophonist Ryuichi Yoshida and Jan Stigter. On 28 November 2014 in Tokyo, The Silence would perform live for the first time in between recording studio material.The Silence Facebook Event On 17 February 2015 the band's eponymous debut album would be announced, released on 24 March 2015 to positive reception from the likes of PitchforkPitchfork among others. A second album in Hark The Silence would see release on 20 November 2015, with a release party at Club Goodman on 4 December.The Silence Facebook Event Along with a new bassist in Yamazaki Taiga in 2016The Silence Facebook a third album would be released in Nine Suns, One Morning circa 11 November 2016. The band would host their own release party at Akihabara Tokyo on 4 November.The Silence Facebook Event The Silence would remain active performing occasional shows with the likes of 1981, Ty Segall, Galactic Abyss and many others before touring with GODMAN in 2018. The band's fourth album Metaphysical Feedback would see release via Drag City on 30 August 2019. Discography *'The Silence' (2015, Drag City) *'Hark The Silence' (2015, Drag City) *'Nine Suns, One Morning' (2016, Drag City) *'Metaphysical Feedback' (2019, Drag City) Members Current Members *'Masaki Batoh' - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Banjo, Vocals (2014 - Present) *'Kazuo Ogino' - Tambura, Keyboards, Piano, Organ, Vocals (2014 - Present) *'Okano Futoshi' - Drums, Percussion, Vocals (2014 - Present) *'Ryuichi Yoshida' - Saxophone, Flute, Vocals (2014 - Present) *'Yamazaki Taiga' - Bass (2016 - Present) Former Members *'Jan Stigter' - Bass (2014 - 2016) Tours *'The Silence vs Acid Mothers Temple and Melting Paraiso U.F.O. Japan Tour 2015' (With Acid Mothers Temple) (2015)The Silence Facebook Event *'The Silence and Godman Japan Tour 2018' (With GODMAN) (2018)The Silence Facebook Event External Links *The Silence on Bandcamp *The Silence on Drag City Records *Chicago Reader article on The Silence References Category:Band Category:Drag City Category:Psychedelic Category:Psychedelic Rock Category:Psychedelic Folk Category:Acid Rock Category:Folk Category:Japan Category:Masaki Batoh Category:Tokyo